1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of sound recording and reproducing cleaning devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of tape machines, both players and recorders and combinations of the two, are available which utilize tape cartridges. Typically, these cartridges contain a continuous loop of magnetic sound-recording tape and are inserted into the cartridge tape machine by forcing open a flap door with the cartridge and pushing the cartridge forward into the machine to a detented position in which the front end of the cartridge is maintained adjacent the capstan and tape head (or heads) of the machine.
In operation, these cartridge tape players and recorders accumulate dust, dirt and oxides, from the cartridge tape, on the head, capstan and sensing fingers. In cleaning these parts, it is very difficult to hold the flapper door of the cartridge tape machine open, depress the sensing switch within the tape machine in order to activate the capstan, and at the same time have a hand free to clean the various parts with a long-handled alcohol soaked swab. A further problem is that the visibility of the parts to be cleaned within the machine is very poor.
There are prior art devices for effecting some measure of cleaning of the playback head and capstan of a cartridge-type magnetic tape player. In such devices, a continuous loop of abrasive tape in an essentially standard cartridge housing is used to clean the playback head of the tape player by inserting the cartridge in the playback machine. The abrasive tape is then run past the playback head. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,439,922 to Howard. The Howard device also includes means for stopping the movement of the abrasive tape so that the rotating capstan will be cleaned by the abrasive tape when the tape is stationary.
A wider-ranging and thorough cleaning operation for the tape-contacting and related components of the cartridge tape machine would be possible if convenient direct access could be provided to the components to be cleaned. Direct cleaning, such as with an alcohol-soaked swab, if made possible by providing the necessary access and illumination within the cartridge tape machine, would allow a person doing the cleaning to have the freedom to clean parts not contacted by the cartridge tape as well as permitting thorough cleaning of the tape-contacting parts within the tape machine.